Fresno Starbucks worker pushes for union, citing wages, shortages — and a sword attack

A sword attack, assaults by customers, understaffing, and other issues prompted a Fresno Starbucks worker to warn the coffee chain’s president Friday that workers planned to unionize, joining a nationwide movement.

“We have endured much in our attempts to create the Third Place,” Benjamin Takemoto, of the Marks and Herndon store, wrote in the open letter to Starbucks’ President Howard Schultz, referring to the coffee company’s effort to be known as the social spot between work and home.

The sword attack took place in November when two men began arguing in the parking lot, and one retrieved the sword from his car and attacked the second, cutting his arm. The suspect was arrested.

“We are not compensated fairly for the volume of work expected of us given the staffing the way it is,” Takemoto also said, adding that workers who brought up workplace issues faced retaliation and discrimination.

Reached at the Starbucks on Friday afternoon, Takemoto confirmed that he worked at the store but said he could not talk while on the clock.

By email, a Starbucks spokesperson said:

“We are listening and learning from the partners in these stores, as we always do across the country. Starbucks success — past, present, and future — is built on how we partner together, always with our Mission and values at our core.

“We’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed.”

The spokesperson added that Rossann Williams, North American president of the company, has shared “with our partners that we respect their right to organize and will bargain in good faith.”